Tag Archive: Numbers

Let me just throw out all those words that I have to in order to get your blood boiling: bands. Labels. Contracts. Money. YouTube comments. OK, are you all sufficiently riled up now? Great, let’s put all that emotional chaos aside then and get to the facts because we really don’t want this to be just a shit smearing fight.

Here are the facts: Kyle Bishop is the vocalist/brain of Numbers, a Seattle based progressive metal-core that we like. A lot. Over a year ago, the band won Sumerian Records‘, who require no introduction, “Road To The Sphinx” where bands competed in several stages in order to land a coveted record contract with the label. Numbers, along with several other bands, won. Rejoicing was cut short by the actual contract presented by Sumerian. Allegedly, as far as Bishop says and the label confirm, the deal included signing over their previous releases to Sumerian, alongside granting them the power to control band members, changing any music they see fit and a non-too-lucrative sounding financial agreement.

OK, that’s the story so far. Head on over the jump for the latest episode in the saga.

And the list marches on. We’ve covered a myriad variety of metal so far and it’s a been a blast. Some of the albums already on the list definitely enjoyed a few more spins, just to remember exactly how good they are. As we charge towards that illustrious top five, the quality is not going to stop. We’re slowly climbing our way towards albums that were either hotly disputed in the group or enjoyed an overwhelming amount of consensus. Brace yourselves, here we go again!

Without further ado, here’s an arbitrarily arranged list of awesome albums from 2014 so far. Remember: it’s okay to not like thing.

[3/25/2014]
[Self Released]

A few reviews ago, the term “core sound” was mentioned. The phrase is an important one in music; in order for innovation not to spin out of control, blindly spewing disjointed sounds into space, a firm and well-developed basic sound needs to exist. Ever since the term came up, this contributor was troubled by the question: “What’s a good example for a new band, debut album perhaps, that really has their core sound figured out?”. An answer seemed out of reach. That is, until Numbers came along with their amazing debut album, Three. What we have here is the case in point: a band that is so in touch with their core sound that it allows them to test and break their boundaries constantly.

Believe it or not, there are still bands out there making top-notch melodic metalcore and not being horrible at it. In fact, our friends in Seattle based group Numbers are among the best you’ll be able to find in the genre, record deal or not. What helps their cause is the prog influence and the adept piano skills of vocalist Kyle Bishop. Their upcoming album Three isn’t quite complete yet, but the album’s already in the midst of its pre-release promotional cycle well ahead of its spring release. Another album to add to the list of anticipated albums this year? You bet.

Hello! This is Kyle Bishop, singer, songwriter, and piano player of the shitty band, Numbers. For some reason, HBIH thinks my opinion matters, and asked what I’ve been listening to this crazy year of 2012. So, without wasting anymore of your time, here are a few!

Friends of the site Numbers (of the super rad progcore variety) are about to embark on a tour next month with fellow Washingtonians in melodic hardcore band Burning Twilight in their tour, Almost A Disastour. Normally I’d be feeling too disenchanted over not living on the West Coast to be spreading the word on a regional tour that doesn’t affect me, but a) Numbers are sweet and they deserve the attention and b) they’re playing at a GameStop of all places. Say whaaaat?

You can check out the dates in the poster above and make it out if you can!

Numbers

Numbers

[06/07/12]
[Self-released]

I’ve been a fan of Numbers from the start. Around the time when Kyle Bishop started snowballing hype for his band, I saw his vocal cover for Periphery’s “Frak the Gods“. Naturally, I kept up to speed with Numbers and followed them closely. The hype continued to build and eventually, I was hard pressed to find anyone with a tolerance for tasteful electronic music and some daring clean vocals to not be eagerly awaiting a tangible release. If you were paying any attention to Numbers before this review, you would know they consistently release demos, studio recordings, self-made music videos and song ideas. In fact, I had listened to the majority of this EP before it was released. Though I have to say, Numbers really know how to wrap a package and deliver! Their self-titled EP slays!

Numbers, to me, are unequivocal proof that metalcore bands can insert electronic influences into their music and not suck. In fact, Numbers are quite good at what they do, taking a slight progressive stance with influences from the likes of Protest the Hero and Periphery, while throwing in the odd jazz fusion section. We’ve been stoked on this band for a while, and now they finally have a release under their belts!

Mixed by 7 Horns 7 Eyes‘ Aaron Smith, Numbers’ EP is not only filled with great tunes, but it also sounds great. Numbers made sure to make the first impression a good one. Check out their EP below and make a purchase over at Bandcamp!

I think it’s safe to say that Numbers are now friends to Heavy Blog at this point (HI KYLE!). There’s something to appreciate a band that seems to put out a new song and accompanying video each month, and Numbers are always on the ball in that regard. Their new song “Please The Senses” hit YouTube this week and features—in addition to their core electronic-infused prog sound—a pretty sweet jazz break. Plus, the video looks nicer than their usual output. Not that they have bad output, but you can tell some extra care went into this one. Give it a once or twice over above and go give them a like at Facebook and tell them we sent you!

It’s a very different song than “Ice on Fire“, but it’s still more of the same style of awesome that we should begin to expect from Numbers. The music is damn fantastic, and their rather unique use of synth and piano really places it ahead of their peers. The vocals are also very good; his cleans still lack some polish on a couple of occasions, but the shining parts outweigh the not-so-shining parts splendidly.

Of course, the harshes are fantastic. I’m sure after a little bit, his cleans will be flawless.